The Other Four
by FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom
Summary: She has The Great Four. He has the Other Four. While one seems to have a purpose, the other seemingly does not.
1. Chapter 1

Jude watched as the woman walked across the water, entranced by the oddity of the spectacle. Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept his internship form out of his hands and it landed on the faintly glowing bridge the woman left on the water.

Muttering his misfortune, Jude climbed down the stairs and raced across, quietly grabbing his form. When he was going to turn back, the glowing panel collapsed underneath his foot and he scrambled to not fall in. His splashing caught the attention of the strange woman walking on the water.

She turned and looked at him, putting a finger to her lips. "Be quiet."

Jude blinked. "Um… what are you doing?"

"What part of quiet don't you understand?" she said. "Go home."

"Uh-…" Jude frowned. "Alright."

The woman nodded "Good boy. You might have to swim a bit-"

"Oh no, not really." Jude said. She blinked in confusion as the boy turned around and stepped onto the water, which quickly froze underneath him.

"Wha- How did you…?" the woman walked over, inspecting the ice underneath him. "That's some impressive channeling…"

"Uh, thanks…" Jude frowned. "I'm going to get going now before the guards show up-"

"Yes, of course." The woman nodded. She turned and went back to the still-smoldering grate. Jude waited for a moment as the woman disappeared into the building, and then went in after her.

" _What on earth are you doing?"_ Aska asked.

"I want to see what she's up to." Jude replied, carefully looking around.

" _I'm fairly certain she was about to drown you."_ Celsius muttered.

"Oh you don't know that." Jude said. "And if she was, Shadow would've just gotten me out."

" _Agreed."_ Shadow whispered.

" _You rely a bit too much on us, Jude."_ Aska commented.

Jude frowned "Yeah, you're right. I'll try to do more things on my own-"

"Hey!" a guard snapped "What are you doing down here?"

"Starting now." Jude muttered.

"Who are you talking to!?" he said harshly.

"Uh-no one." Jude frowned. "I'm looking for Professor Haus?"

"Oh, Haus huh?" the guard said. "This is a bit of an odd way to look for him…" he muttered something.

" _He said 'But your obviously not quite right in the head'."_ Aska reported.

"Well to him, I'm talking to myself." Jude said quietly.

"Well come along then." The guard said "I'll take you to him…"

"Oh! Thank you." Jude smiled.

"Yes, no problem…" The guard said, taking out a spear.

"Uh-" Jude noticed the spear. "What-"

The guard suddenly charged at him, the spear pointed at his chest. Jude quickly jumped back, startled as well as alarmed. Suddenly, electricity charged up the spear point and crackled across the man's armor. His body shook for a moment and then he fell with a _thump!_

"Wha-"

" _VOLT!"_ Celsius snapped. A series of 'bzzrt's were heard in response.

"Um…" Jude quietly stepped over to the collapsed man. "Is he… dead….?"

" _No. Paralyzed, maybe. But not dead."_ Celsius said.

" _Breathing."_ Shadow reported.

"Oh... alright…." Jude frowned. "I guess I'll just keep going, then?" he sounded a bit annoyed. "Volt, I'm grateful for the help but I think I do need to learn some independence…."

" _Oh shut up, Jude."_ Celsius said. _"We're not going to let you get killed. Just try to be a bit more careful. Like, think about what fights your picking once in a while."_

"Heh…alright…" Jude frowned "Sorry for always bugging you-"

" _No."_ Shadow said.

" _To clarify, don't feel sorry. Remember Jude, you're keeping us alive just as much as we're keeping you alive."_ Aska said.

"I still don't really understand that." Jude said, trotting along in the sewage of the building. "How am I keeping you alive? I mean, you're all spirits so I guess I can understand how I'm supplying mana for you, but why me specifically?"

" _Well in all honesty, Shadow picked you."_ Celsius said. _"…Still don't quite understand why, but I'm glad he did."_

"Thanks Celsius." Jude smiled.

" _Why are you now just asking us this?"_ Aska said _"We've been with you for several years now."_

"I…" Jude frowned "I really don't know. Maybe it was how that woman acted when Celsius made that ice for me?" He stopped and looked up a ladder. Nodding a bit in satisfaction that it leads somewhere, he made his way up and opened the hatch into the main building. He looked around carefully before climbing out and quietly closing the hatch behind him.

"I guess until then, I didn't really think it was… weird." Jude said. He quickly hid as a guard walked past. Then, carefully, he crept out and looked around. "Hmm…" A spot of red caught his attention.

He looked up and on an upper floor a strange woman was kind of stumbling into a room.

" _She's definitely drunk."_ Celsius muttered.

" _Can you go five minutes without making any comments?"_ Aska muttered.

" _I don't know, can you go five minutes without being annoying?"_ Celsius snapped.

"Come on, guys, don't argue." Jude said as he walked up the stairs.

" _Jude, you said you'd pick your fights more carefully…"_ Aska said. Jude slowed to a stop. He frowned.

"Yes, you're right…" Jude fidgeted. "Maybe I'll wait for her to leave and then check the room out?"

" _That'd be wise."_ Aska said. Jude fidgeted a bit and leaned against the wall a bit of a ways away. He watched from his hiding place as guards walked past. Then he spotted the strange woman- the one that walked on the water, not the red-wearing one- make her way up the stairs. She spotted him quite easily.

"What are you doing here?" she frowned. "I thought you went home?"

"Well- I was going to-" Jude fidgeted "But my professor was sent here earlier, and he still hasn't come back yet, so I thought-"

"That he was forced to stay?" the woman leaned to the left, putting a hand on her hip. She frowned, tilting her head at some unheard voice. "Hm, yes. Alright."

Jude blinked, gripping onto his wrist. "Who are you talking to…?"

"The Four." She said bluntly. She turned to the door the red-wearing woman went into. "I'm going in, stay here if you want."

"Wait- Someone in there might be dangerous-"Jude protested, being promptly ignored. He sighed, fidgeted for a moment, and then followed her in. He walked in to the woman in red on the ground, unconscious, and the other woman picking something off the ground.

"Uh…" Jude muttered, walking through the room. He stopped and slowly, fearfully, looked around. All the test tubes were filled with… people…. "What- Why-?"

The strange woman who was not wearing red straightened up, with what appeared to be a pass-card in her hand. "Experiments."

"They're experimenting on humans-?" Jude swallowed, his eyes wide. "What are they doing-"

"Draining mana out of them, most likely." The woman said. "Are you going to be following me all day?"

"Uh- no- but-" his eye caught on one of the bodies that appeared to be slowly dissolving. His heart stopped. "Professor Haus!" He ran over and banged on the glass. The woman watched him scream at the glass as the body floated, slowly disintegrating before them.

" _Jude, he's already dead! Stop it! There's no point!"_ Celsius yelled.

"But-!" Jude yelled, abruptly cutting himself off. He slowly stopped banging on the glass, his hands sliding down the sides. He hunched over, suddenly feeling queasy. "If I had come in earlier-"

"… _He's been dead."_ Shadow said, breaking his two-word limit.

"What?" Jude said quietly, his pupils wavering in fright and despair.

" _We knew he was dead, Jude."_ Aska said, quietly _"We were hoping to keep you from seeing him…"_

"I could've helped-" Jude sniffed.

" _No, you couldn't."_ Aska replied. _"Pick your battles carefully, Jude. Don't take on regret for something you have no power to change."_

Jude cringed for a moment, took a deep breath, and slowly moved away from the glass. He turned to the strange woman and gave a kind smile.

"H-hello. I didn't expect you to stick around for so long…" he said.

She frowned "Oddly enough, I felt like I shouldn't leave you alone." She smiled "You humans have that effect on me."

"Us humans?" Jude blinked "You say that like you're not human."

"Well I'm not." She said. "Isn't it traditional to introduce yourself to new people?"

"Uh… yeah." Jude said, baffled by the oddity of this woman in front of him. He reached out his hand. "My name is Jude Mathis."

"Milla Maxwell." Milla said, taking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jude."

 **Heya everyone! Now, it seems like all my Xillia-related fanfics (at the time 'Four Years After' and 'Identity Fraud') have 'skits' at the end of the chapters, so I figured this one won't be an exception. So… here's some skits.**

" **Milla"**

Celsius: "Milla Maxwell, huh?"

Aska: "Do you think it's the same Maxwell?"

Celsius: "Not really. If it was, he… she, would've noticed we were here."

Shadow: … [twitches]

Celsius: "You're right Shadow, let's just keep following Jude for now. If she is Maxwell, we'll deal with it later."

Aska and Volt: [boxes bounce in agreement].

" **Imaginary Friends"**

Milla: "I can't help but notice that you talk to yourself a lot."

Jude: [that concerned-looking smile he does] "You do too."

Milla: [?] "No, I talk to The Four."

Jude: [Upset Look] "You keep saying that. Who are 'The Four'?"

Milla: "The Great Four Spirits. Efreet, Gnome, Undine, and Sylph."

Jude: [!] "Really? The Four Great Spirits follow you?"

Milla: [smile] "Yes, they're quite helpful."

Jude: "Wow! That's amazing."

Celsius: [To Jude Only] "Oh? And we're not?" [offended]

Jude: "What? Oh, no! You guys are amazing too!"

Milla: [to herself] "He's talking to himself again." [?] "…Yes, I suppose you're right." [indifferent expression] "He might not be."


	2. Chapter 2

_Do you remember it, Jude?_

 _I guess you wouldn't._

Everything was suddenly dark. Suffocating. Wet?

Was he-

 _It was a long, long time ago. You were still a baby._

He was underwater! How did he end up here? That…The lance of Kresnik, that was what Milla called it, right? It exploded. They asked him to-

 _Where your mother went after your father. She took you with her to this big building. It scared you, you were clinging so tightly to her._

The Four Great Spirits had asked him to keep Milla safe. Because of- Because of something- Keep Milla safe- Milla-

 _But at the front doors, the guard told her she couldn't go any further with you._

Jude looked around, eyes wide and bright under the water as he flailed to gather his bearings. Holding his breath, frantically looking around, he saw her. She was clearly not the best swimmer, as she moved her arms and legs in such a fashion that made her look much like a frog. Her eyes were narrowed, but she failed to hold her breath. Bubbles burst from her mouth, streaming up towards light.

 _So she left you outside with that guard. He wasn't a bad man. A bit quiet, and grumpy having to take care of a random child._

Jude aimed himself at her, darting towards her as quickly as he was able. When he was within arm's reach, he wrapped his arms about her waist, then made for the surface. She accepted his help, wrapping her arms around him and kicking with her own legs. They broke the water surface, gasping for air and began to head for the bridge.

 _You wandered off somewhere. That was when everything began to shake. The walls collapsed in on themselves, eaten up by fire and there was that deafening ringing in your ears._

He made sure to help her up onto the platform first, dragging his own soaked body up after her.

 _That was when you met her. She was a lot younger back then. Around six years old, I believe. Nowhere near as impressive as she is now._

Milla stumbled to her feet, panting heavily but not failing to stand. Jude coughed up water, pushing his bangs up and out of his face and staring at her.

"A-are you okay?" He gasped.

Milla gave a limp nod "Yes. Swimming is not as easy as Undine makes it look…"

"I bet." Jude rasped, pushing himself off of the ground. He dusted himself off, wiping water off of the corner of his mouth. Bronze eyes lingered on Milla as she waved her hair, sending sparkling specks of water into the lake. A frown set to his face and he gripped onto his wrist.

"Well, thank you for your assistance, Jude." Milla said with a nod. She immediately turned on heel, walking up the stairs and leaving Jude staring, flabbergasted.

He suddenly remembered something. The Lance had taken the Four from Milla, right? The Four Great Spirits-

"Celsius! Shadow! Volt! Aska!" He asked in a panicked frenzy. Were they taken too?

" _Calm down."_ Came a tired reply. Jude sighed in relief.

"Celsius, I was worried-"

" _Okay."_ Celsius interrupted _"Jude, we're all here. But we're all really…tired. We're gonna….just…"_ the sound of her voice drifted off, leaving Jude to the relative silence. Jude sighed, worried for his friends but still happy they were still there. Now they were just sleeping- Do spirits sleep? Jude decided maybe that wasn't the best question for the time.

 _That wasn't the first time you were there, though. But you don't remember that either._

Jude twitched, swatting the side of his head as if to be rid of a bothersome insect. He shook his head, debating on what to do next as the clanging of metal caught his attention. Without another moment's thought, he bolted up the stairs to see Milla clumsily swinging her blade. An armed guard stood opposed of her. Jude chewed on his lip a moment, but against his better judgement, darted in.

When the guard was knocked out through blade and fist, Milla gave him another grateful smile.

"Thank you again, Jude." She turned to walk away, stopping and looking about. Jude fidgeted, opening his mouth to say something, then thinking better of it. He instead said:

"The entrance to the city is always filled with guards. You'd be a lot better off going towards the Sea Haven."

"I see." Milla said. She blinked "Which way is that?"

Jude sighed, gripping onto his wrist "Um… here. It's this way."

 _I am thankful for that._

 **A/N**

 **Hey you know how it's been over a year since I updated this? Well, it's updated. But a short chapter. But future chapters will probably be longer as I actually have some clue what I'm doing with this now.**

 **Drop a review, if you'd please!**


	3. Chapter 3

This was getting incredibly out of hand, to say the least.

Jude leaned on the rail of the ship, watching the ocean waves roll by as the sea breeze tossled his hair. He sighed, tightening his hands into fist and closed his eyes. Murmuring.

How did he get himself in this situation? Here he was, a former honor's student, so close to getting his doctorate, to an X-Marked criminal. He dropped his head into his arms, calming himself with long, controlled breathes. In reality, it was no one's fault but his. So there was no point in pouting about it. That wasn't going to fix anything.

So for now, he'd just have to make himself useful.

He blinked, wondering…

'To who?'

Milla's voice, calm and resilient, was behind him. Speaking with the mercenary who had come to his rescue earlier. Alvin.

Jude sighed, letting his hands and his heart relax. Something in his eyes sparked. He had promised the Four Spirits he would look after the woman. So he will.

It wasn't in his nature to break a promise.

When they arrived at the next Seahaven, Jude sprung to make himself as useful as possible, sprinting over to give a nearby map a quick look. After gathering their bearings, Alvin took it upon himself to help Milla learn more about using a sword, and to give a tutorial or two-

Wait, 'tutorial'?

" _Don't think about it too much."_ Celsius mumbled.

"Oh, Celsius-" Jude caught himself, lowering his voice before it caught anyone's attention. Instead, he mumbled under his breath "You're awake! That's a relief. How about the others?"

" _Here."_ Shadow confirmed in his quiet voice.

" _I'm here as well, Jude."_ Aska said, his voice strained and not-quite awake.

A series of 'Bzzrts' were head, confirming Volt's prescence.

Jude smiled, happy to hear that his friends were all still with him. Incredibly tired, from the sounds of it….But they were still WITH him.

He couldn't help but ask.

"How are all of you?"

" _Er….I wouldn't mind a nap."_ Celsius said. In his mind's eye, Jude can see what he imagined Aska looked like nod.

" _We are all quite exhausted. But we will survive."_ He said.

" _Good."_ Shadow whispered.

Another series of bleeps and bloops.

" _SPEAK NORMALLY HE CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!"_ Celsius snapped. A high-pitched whine was heard, followed by a hushed, almost robotic, voice.

" _I AM OKAY TOO."_

Jude chuckled "Glad to hear it."

Alvin strolled leisurely, his head pillowed on his folded arms. He cast glance after cynical glance at Jude, his frown deepening. The three of them were on their way to complete their task, and the roads were quiet for the most part. Milla lead the way, letting the two men trail behind her.

As Jude seemed to be drawn deeper and deeper into his mental conversation, Alvin quickened his pace to stand next to Milla. He leaned over so his head was by hers, and whispered:

"Hey, what's up with the kid?"

"Hm?" Milla blinked. She looked at the mercenary a moment, then behind them where Jude was mumbling to himself "Oh yes. I noticed that as well. He seems to have a lot to say."

"Okay…." Alvin mumbled "So WHO is he talking to?"

Milla suddenly stopped, crossing her arms and paying no mind to the startled gasps of her two companions.

"Milla, is everything all right?" Jude asked, frowning. The frown took on a comedic effect, however, as Milla abruptly shorted the distance between them, leaning forward so her face wasn't so much as a foot away from his. A blush crept across Jude's face. "um….."

"Who ARE you talking to?" She asked, tilting her head. Alvin avoided looking at Jude in a failed attempt to draw attention away from himself.

"Er…" Jude blushed. He gripped his wrist, avoiding the woman's gaze. Milla waited for his response patiently. So patiently that Jude simply sighed, forgetting about trying to change or avoid the subject. Instead, he gave a smile. "My friends?"

"Your 'friends'?" Alvin repeated, raising an eyebrow at Jude.

"You have invisible friends?" Milla hummed. She back up. "That is quite fascinating. I was not aware humans were capable of being invisible."

"OOOORRR, he's just crazy." Alvin shrugged.

Jude chuckled awkwardly "That's…also a possibility."

Alvin gave him a flat glare "Hard to get a rise out of you, ain't it kid?"

Jude gripped his wrist "Well I just kind of…accepted the possibility."

" _What?"_ Celsius mumbled.

"Sorry!" Jude giggled, no longer hiding his voice from his companions.

"Hello, Jude's invisible friends." Milla interrupted

…

" _Hello."_

" _SHADOW!"_

Jude chuckled again, catching it in his fist to clear his throat. Not being able to keep his voice incredibly steady, he stammered "O-one of them says hello."

Alvin mumbled something under his breathe along the lines of 'how did I get dragged into this insane asylum?'.

Milla however, simply tilted her head "May I have that one's name?"

" _She may."_ Shadow said.

Jude blinked, frowning a bit but obliged his response. "His name is Shadow."

"Shadow?" Alvin muttered, raising a brow. Milla put a hand on her hip, turning to look at the mercenary.

"Is the name familiar?" she asked.

Alvin shrugged "Sure, who hasn't heard of a 'shadow'?"

" _Smartass."_ Celsius muttered.

"Well, hello again, Shadow." Milla greeted. She tilted her head, observing Jude closely "So from how you were hiding it, I take it this isn't normal."

Jude shook his head "U-uh, no. Not really." He smiled awkwardly.

"Hm." Milla mused to herself, crossing her arms "Jude, would these friends of yours-" She abruptly cut herself off, shaking her head "Nevermind, it's not important."

"Oh. Um…. Okay." Jude blinked, tilting his head. The two of them studied each other for a few moments before Alvin rudely yelled out:

"Or he's INSANE."

Milla barely had a reaction to his, simply looking at him over her shoulder and saying "I listened to the voices in my head as well, when I had them."

Alvin stared stupidly at her. With a sigh, he shrugged in defeat "All right, okay. We all got invisible friends. Good for us."

"You should probably see someone about that." Jude smiled innocently.

 **A/N**

 **I bet you all expected a longer update. I did too. Oh well. Maybe next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

Their journey went by too quickly for everything that happened. Alvin betrayed them, came back, and betrayed them again. Rowen, Elize, and Teepo joined them through conflict after conflict. However, despite all these new allies, tragedy still befell the group.

Milla, in her haste to apprehend Nachtigal, had been horribly injured. And unable to walk as a result. After some debating, Jude decided that perhaps that wasn't it to their journey. Perhaps his father could help. And thus the pair set off. Milla on horseback, Jude on foot and leading the animal by its reins. He watched his feet as he walked along the dirt-covered trails. Milla was mostly silent, content in watching to on-going of passing critters.

" _It's not your fault."_ Celsius murmured for the thousandth time.

Jude didn't quite agree.

" _Jude, it wasn't your fault."_ Aska said _"Milla was the one who rushed after him-"_

"DON'T BLAME HER!" Jude snapped. Milla jumped, clutching onto the spooked horse's neck to prevent being thrown off. The horse also stared, gawk-eyed at its current handler. A light blush crept across Jude's face as he assisted Milla back to a steady seating.

She tilted her head, watching him as he sighed and moved back to lead the horse. "Jude, what was that about?"

Jude fidgeted "Er…nothing." He forced a smile "Just….yelling a bit at my friends."

"Ah, yes." Milla said with a nod "The invisible ones." She tilted her head "Is it all resolved?"

" _There was never an argument."_ Celsius insisted.

"… _.Although_ that _was your fault."_ Aska added.

" _SHUT IT!"_ Celsius snapped.

A series of concerned and frightened 'BZRRTTS; followed. Jude couldn't help but smile at their antics.

"I see it is." Milla said with a content smile.

Jude laughed, a forced thing that sounded more like a cough. He cleared his throat, clutching the horse's reins, and continued along.

No sooner did they get a good pace going did it start to rain. Water came down in sheets and sheets, and Jude hurried to shelter both Milla and their borrowed horse. After a bit of a frantic search, he set Milla underneath a small ledge, and tied the horse up under a rather shady tree. He patted the equine's neck apologetically before scampering, soaked, to the ledge with Milla.

Jude sighed, letting himself relax a moment. He leaned backwards, closing his eyes and simply breathing in the dark. But, before his brain even registered dozing off, he was jerked back to the physical world by the sound of chattering teeth. He blinked the sleep from his eyes. Milla, in the corner of his vision, was hugging her arms to herself, smiling contently despite her vicious shivering.

"Is this what it is like to feel cold?" She mused "I believe this is the first time I spent a moment to experience it."

Jude smiled, a tad concerned. Getting back to his feet, he called out over his shoulder

"I'll be right back."

Milla waved him off "I'll be here."

Jude's expression dropped to a half-lidded smile. He sighed, then sprinted out into the rain. After several more minutes, he once again returned, soaking wet but carrying firewood.

Milla blinked as she watched Jude set about to laying them out. Her eyes locked on his trembling hands. She frowned.

"Hm, now you're cold." She observed.

Jude smiled through his trembling "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll dry these off with some spirit artes and-"

"Arrivendenci!" Milla shouted, and a sprout of wind magic blew out from the ground, lifting the gather logs and dropping them down, dry as a bone. Jude, his hair now a wild mess, forced an awkward smile.

"Yeah, that worked." He said.

"Should I light it, too?" Milla asked.

Jude shook his head "N-no, you might set _me_ on fire."

"Oh." Milla blinked. She nodded "An understandable concern.

Jude laughed a bit, cleared his throat, and let the fire with a small flick of his wrist and a small spark of mana. Once the fire was lit, he settled down deeper into the cave next to her. Milla watched him as he laid back, closing his eyes and breathing slowly.

"Jude?" She said. Jude yawned and faced her, a frown on his face. Half his profile orange from the flames and the other half shrouded in the dark shadows it cast.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice small over the sound of the crackling fire. Milla smiled.

She leaned over and gave her pendant to him.

* * *

The next day, they set off once again. And it was going smoothly.

Until a boar charged them, that is.

The monster itself Jude was quick to take care of, striking it down with three hits of his fist. He panted a little after the deed was done, and quickly turned his attention to Milla. She sat on the ground, leaning over her immobile legs with a bit of a pout.

"Well this is unfortunate." She muttered, looking out behind them "The horse ran off."

Jude fidgeted, sighed, and hauled her up onto his back. She yelped a bit in surprise, but secured her hands around his shoulders.

"Hold on tight." He smiled up at her. Milla return the expression ten-fold.

"Thank you, Jude."

When they arrived at Leronde, they were greeted ceremoniously by the very-enthusiastic Leia Rolando. She assisted them by pushing Milla along in a wheel chair, giving Jude's back a break. Jude stretched, shooting a grateful grin at his childhood friend. Milla gave her a grateful nod as well, and Leia was flustered from all the praise and attention.

However, that didn't stop her from nagging Jude's ears off. Jude sighed, 'mhhmm'ing as he only half-listened. It was not that she was boring to listen to- well, that too, but it was mainly due to Celsius's singing, Aska yelling at her to shut up, and a series of Bleeps and Bloops, with only a word from Shadow here and there to assure Jude he wasn't down one voice.

Thankfully they quieted down when they got to the Mathis Clinic.

"Jude!" A male shouted, sprinting to them.

Jude stared, wide eyed as Leia all but fell over. He cleared his throat, trying not to let his confusion be that obvious "Hey, Dad."

Derrick smiled "Welcome home, Jude."

Jude blinked, a frown creasing his face "Er…thanks." He shot Leia a look, to which she returned with a confused shrug of her shoulders.

"Hello, Mr. Mathis." Milla greeted, waving from her chair.

"Oh…." Derrick murmured, his voice dropping as he eyed the woman "What on earth happened to her?"

"Well, it's a long story." Jude said, gripping his wrist. He looked over to Leia "Can we get Mom here too? So I can explain it to all of you at once?"

Derrick rose an eyebrow, but nodded curtly. "Ellen should be inside. Let's go."

After the hefty explanation of what he's been doing, and the awkward silence that followed, Jude hung his head, bracing himself. Instead, he got….

"Well I suppose we should help her."

Jude stared. Ellen blinked, frowning. Mother and son exchanged a look, then both looked to Leia. Leia gave another, slightly exaggerated shrug. Milla smiled.

"That would be great, thank you-"

"I never said we _could_ help." Derrick interrupted. Milla's smile dropped to a contemplative frown.

"B-but, Dad!" Jude protested "You've fixed a patient's legs before-"

"That was different!" Derrick snapped at him. He sighed, massaging his temple "All right, all right….I'll see what I can do."

Jude stared a moment before a bright smile spread across his face "Thank you, Dad!"

"Yes, yes." Derrick waved him off "But today has been pretty long for all of us, hasn't it?" He smiled "Let's get some dinner."

Jude smiled back, his eyes shining "Okay!"

Ellen smiled a small smile. Leia jumped up from where she sat, flexing her arms above her head.

"YEAH! I'll go get my Mom and we'll make a big dinner-"

"No." Derrick interrupted a bit too abruptly. Leia blinked, staring him down until the man smiled "I would like to make dinner, if that's all right. You head on home, Leia."

"Er…9kay." Leia frowned, crossing her arms in a pout "Bye Jude, bye Milla."

"Bye, Leia!" Jude chirped, "I'll go set the table- Milla, want to help?"

Milla's gaze remained on Derrick, narrowed into a puzzling glare. But at Jude's voice, she turned a moment and nodded "Yes, as much as I am able to, anyway."

Jude smiled again, pushing Milla's wheelchair into the kitchen with him. Derrick waved Leia off. Ellen frowned, wringing her hands.

In the kitchen, Jude was happily setting down plates and silverware, humming a soft tune. Milla watched him, hands folded in her lap as he worked. She frowned, listening intently to the clank and clammer of Derrick in the kitchen. The woman drummed her fingers along the tops of her paralyzed legs. Jude seemed happy, at least.

…


	5. Chapter 5

_Jude? Jude, wake up! Wake up, PLEASE!_

" _He's not waking up!"_

" _BZZZZRT BZZZZRT BZZZZRT!"_

" _Jude, please, you need to wake up, NOW!"_

… _Jude?_

 _Wake up._

 _Wake up!_

 _WAKE UP!_

Jude's eyes snapped open, his body jerked as he threw his body upwards just to be pulled straight back down. He grimaced, his head feeling cloudy and his vision a haze. His body felt heavy, as if held down by weights.

Vacantly, he tried to lift his arm. That wouldn't budge. Frowning, Jude twisted and turned, finding himself immobile. Trapped. Strapped to a table.

"W-wha-?" Jude gasped, struggling to snap back to his senses. Vaguely, he registered he needed to focus. But his mind and his body refused to cooperate. He was so tired, his body heavy….

He let his eyes flutter shut.

 _No, Jude. Wake up._

Jude twisted his head, fighting to ignore it….

" _Jude, please!"_

" _That's it, I'LL wake him up!"_

" _Celsius, No-"_

" _ICE RAIN!"_

Suddenly, he was bombarded by cold, smashing him in the face and revitalizing his numb body. Jude's body jerked, still held in place but now annoyingly cold. His skin stung as the ice pelted into his body, reddening. He shook his head to rid his bangs of the snow that stuck to it, then blinked madly to get the ice out of his eyes.

" _G'morning."_ Celsius said smugly.

" _Celsius…."_ Aska sighed _"Jude, are you all right?"_

" _That's a stupid question!"_ Celsius snapped _"Does he LOOK 'all-right'? He's strapped to a table!"_

"Please be quiet!" Jude said in a hushed voice. They listened to him, dwindling off into an uneasy silence. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he turned his attention to looking around his surroundings.

It was a dimly lit room, not quite dark, but still reaching those lines. The walls were made of darkened metal, rusty in several places and straining against the bolts that held them together. The floor was a simple arrangement of bricks, the ceiling submerged in darkness.

His situation wasn't much better.

Another tug of his wrists assured him of that. Several leather straps fasted him to a cold steel table, lapping over his body and buckling to one side. The snow that Celsius had brought was melting, the water soaking into his undershirt and pants and making them heavy and wet.

He frowned, dropping his head down and looking around some more. The far wall homed a large, thick-looking, steel door. A keypad was bolted underneath the handle although it looked like it hadn't been used for quite a long time….

Jude sighed "I….what is happening?" he asked.

" _No idea."_ Celsius muttered.

" _I….have a suspicion."_ Aska sighed _"Not one I expect you to like"_

"Let's wait for that…" Jude said, tugging some more at his restraints "It think we should focus on getting out of here, first…."

" _I'll help."_ Shadow said in his hushed voice. Jude felt a bit of a twinge, a bit of a knot in his stomach, when suddenly his shadow swam out from under him, a formless thing that wrapped around the buckles and ripped them off. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, leaving Jude feeling the tiniest bit dazed.

" _You okay, Jude?"_ Celsius asked.

"Y-yeah…" Jude stammered, swinging his body over the edge of the table. He shook his head a moment, then unsteadily stumbled to his bare feet. "Shadow, how long could you do that?"

" _While."_ Was the only response he had to give. Jude sighed, massaging the space between his eyes with two fingers.

"Okay, okay." He rolled his shoulders, waltzing over to the thick iron door and giving it an experimental tug, then push. He tried the handle, finding it refusing to move. "Locked…."

" _Makes sense."_ Celsius said _"They DID strap you to a table. So I guess they don't want you getting out."_

"But…" Jude shook his head, "Well, yeah, you're right. …Aska, you said you had an idea why I'm here?"

" _Yes…."_ He said, his voice low _"I belive….Derrick may have had something to do with this."_

"What, Dad!?" Jude exclaimed, stumbling backwards as if recoiling from a blow. He winced "W-why would-"

" _I don't know."_ Aska sighed _"But, Jude, he was acting uncharacteristically kind, wasn't he?"_ Jude could only nod, as he was already putting the pieces together himself. Aska continued anyway _"And he offered to make dinner, something he never did. If he had a gradual change of heart, or if Leia hadn't been so confused, I may have dismissed it, but too many things add up to…"_

"He drugged me." Jude concluded, dropping down onto the table, putting his head in his hands "So someone could bring me here?"

…


	6. Chapter 6

"Milla!" cried the voice. Milla sat up in her bed, her useless legs dragging against the sheets. Her visitor was none other than Jude's friend Leia. She slammed the door shut behind her, her hair in a messy frenzy and her clothes ruffled and wrinkled. She lacked the ribbons she had worn earlier, which made since considering it was late, and she most likely just woke up.

"What is it?" Milla said, tilting her head so slightly. She craned her neck to peer behind the younger woman, expecting Jude to barge in and tell her to be quiet. But aside from Leia, the doorway was empty.

"It's Jude!" Leia said in a hushed voice. She quickly closed the distance between them, sweat slicking the sides of her face. Her skin seemed both pale and flushed. "Milla, I saw some…some guys or whatever, one of them had Jude on their back. He was out cold-!"

"They took Jude?" Milla said, her eyes widening. They quickly narrowed into a sharp glare "Did you follow them?"

Leia nodded "Of course! I followed them to this really weird building out in the woods a bit of a ways. "

"Take me there." Milla commanded, throwing off the covers and throwing herself out of her bed. In her haste, however, she forgot her legs were virtually useless. She fell with an 'oomph!'.

"Be careful!" Leia chided, lifting the woman up and putting her back on the bed. "Milla, I know you're worried. _I'm_ worried, but you can't just rush in there with how you are."

"Then why did you come back to tell me?" Milla glowered.

"I-I-" Leia stuttered, a chill rushing down her spine. She swallowed down her anxiousness and continued "I was hoping you knew someone who could help. I mean, I know I'm reckless, but I'm not about to go in there _alone."_

"And you won't." Milla said with a frown "Pardon my temper, Leia. You're right. Rushing in unprepared won't help at all." Her magenta-colored eyes trained to her useless legs. She grinded her teeth, angered by her own uselessness.

Leia followed her gaze. She fidgeted with her hands, looking away.

"Milla, who can I get to help? I know- Oh!" She brightened up "I know! My mom!"

Milla tilted her head "Won't it be dangerous for her?"

Leia sighed "Yeah…But, Jude-"

"Leia." Milla cut her off. Leia looked up in the dark, meeting the woman's intense glare "Jude spoke of a way to fix my legs. Would you happen to know of it?"

Leia nodded "Yeah. …It's a bit painful though-"

"I'll deal with it." Milla said curtly. "What do we need to do?"

* * *

Jude wrung out his soaking shirt as he observed the door.

"Anyway one of you can just…blast it off?" He asked.

" _This door's kind of thick, Jude. I'm not sure I could."_ Celsius muttered _"Not anytime soon, anyway."_

" _Unfortunately, the same goes for me."_ Aska said in a sigh. _"I'm sorry, Jude. Were I at my full power…."_ He trailed off.

" _I AM ALSO UNABLE TO."_ Volt reported.

Jude sighed, rubbing his head. "Okay, okay…."

 _I'll try._

Jude's shadow peeled itself out from the floor. It stretched out its hands and legs before flattening itself against the floor once again, worming out under the door. Just as soon as his shadow was separated, Jude was hit with a wave nausea. He swayed, slapping a palm against the wall to steady himself. His stomach twisted into a knot as his vision began to haze over. His chest heaved and in the back of his throat he could taste the bitter taste of vomit.

" _Shadow, you're hurting him!"_ Celsius snapped.

There was a small sound, something like a gasp. It was followed by the shadow darting back into the room and nestling underneath Jude again.

 _I'm sorry._

"I…it's okay…" Jude panted, wiping a sleeve at his forehead. He breathed in slowly thorugh his nose, but that simply set his nausea overboard. His knees buckled to the ground as his stomach heaved and the foul-smelling contents spewed out all over the floor. Just coughed up dangling salivia, making a face at the mess.

" _EW."_ Volt voiced his thoughts.

"Y-yeah." Jude said with a sigh. He shoved the floor, pushing himself up to his feet. He swayed still. "Okay, S-shadow? Were you close?"

…

" _He says he couldn't find anything close."_ Celsius translated.

"Drat." Jude muttered. "Okay, okay…. Volt, you wanna try?"

" _CHANCE OF HARMING YOU IS HIGH."_ Volt reported, and that was that. Jude frowned.

"Okay….. Celsius….?" He frowned, pressing a finger to his throbbing skull. He snapped his fingers suddenly "I have an idea."

" _Let's hear it."_ Celsius said.

"Okay, Celsius, I'll need your and Volt's help."

" _CHANCE OF HARMING YOU-"_

"Is high, I know." Jude cut him off "But I don't need you to blast the door down. Just to heat it up."

"… _BZZRT."_

" _He means 'Understood'."_ Aska said.

" _And me?"_ Celsius asked.

"Once the door's heated up, I need you to freeze the out edges of it, do you think you can manage that?"

" _You offend me."_

Jude laughed "Sorry. But yes, if I'm right, that should either split the door in half or make it collapse in on itself."

" _UNDERSTOOD." "Got it."_ Volt and Celsius said at once. Electricity sprung from nowhere, sending Jude's hair standing on edge as it crackled threateningly. It snaked to the door, racing up its surface and slowly turning it red. As abruptly as the lightning stopped, the ice started. It shot across the room, creeping into a crevice in the door.

A loud _crack_ was heard as the crevice darted outwards. The door snapped in half, each jagged piece falling opposite each other onto the stone floor. Jude swayed, but still managed to smile.

"It worked." He grinned and crept through the door. A long corridor spread out in three directions. Each fairly unhospitable with dark shadows and the sound of dripping water. Jude chose a direction and started down.

He kept low to the ground, paying close attention to the sound of his bare feet smacking across the floor. The hallway was cold and dim, lit only by a few shaking luminescent plants. There was no other trace of people here. It was just an eerie quiet that sunk into his damp skin and echoed in his mind. Even the four were quiet.

Eventually, the dark hall came to an end. To one wall was a pair of large doors made of a thinner steel than the one he was locked behind. Jude gently put his fingertips to it, prepared to give a push when the soft sounds of whispers brushed his ears.

" _Not that way."_ Celsius muttered. Jude gave a silent nod, beginning to back-pedal when suddenly he stopped. Taking a deep breath, he slowly leaned foreward and pressed the side of his head against the door.

"…Mathis kid."

"Kind of cruel to hand his own son over to us, isn't it?"

"So he did drug me." Jude sighed quietly. He shook his head and put his attention back on the conversation.

"Wasn't he the one who put his kid through all of that crap anyway? I say it's an improvement! At least this way he _knows_ where he stands."

"I don't know….I feel bad for him."

"I do too, honestly. The poor kid…."

…

"Y'know he's close to twenty, right?"

"Thank you." Jude muttered softly, shuffling away from the door. He quietly got to his feet and went off at a cautious trot. The rough floor dug into his feet and he scowled in pain. But he had no choice really, but to keep going.

" _Jude, you heard what they said, right? That…well, apparently…"_

"Dad put me through something." Jude finished Celsius's sentence for her. "I…I don't really know what. But I don't really want to figure it out right now."

" _Right."_ Celsius sighed.

 _Someone's ahead._ Shadow whispered.

Jude skidded to a stop, looking around in a frantic search for any cover. Unfortunately for him, there was a severe lack of the typical potted plants and random debris you typically find in a dungeon like place. However, there was a large, dark crack in the wall that was narrow, but maybe just wide enough….

Jude pressed his body into it, grunting a bit as his body was dug into by stray bits of stone. Once he was nestled in enough, he kept his breathing quiet and stood as still as he can. Outside his hiding hole, he heard the footsteps of people walking by. Two…three, pairs of footsteps striding down the hall with a quiet _pat-pit-pat_ of their footsteps. Jude allowed himself a sigh.

" _Don't think you can handle three of them?"_ Aska asked.

"Not without Milla." Jude said in a whisper.

Celsius whistled and Jude ignored her.

The people walking by were yelling something…

"The door's busted and he's nowhere to be seen! What else could you think have happened!?" a man snapped.

"Calm down. The boy doesn't know his way through this facility. It's very likely he hasn't escaped yet." Said a woman's voice.

"Whether he's been rescued or he's found his own way out, remember he's never quite alone." Said another man, much, much calmer than the first.

Jude swallowed nervously as their voices came closer to where he hid.

" _They noticed we left!"_ Celsius snapped angrily " _Of course they'd notice! GOD, I'm so DUMB!"_

Jude winced at the loudness of her voice and silently thanked Aska and Shadow for calming her down. He strained his ears and his mind to listen to the conversation going on outside the wall… But there were no more voices. Jude struggled to ignore the arguing spirits in his head, thinking perhaps that were the reason he could hear nothing. But there was still nothing….

A face appeared in the opening of the crack. A pale face with white and red hair stared at him through deep-sunken eyes. His thin lips curled up in a smile.

"So here's where you scurried off to."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hey look a decent sized chapter.**

 **By the way, I refuse to believe Jude's 15 frickin years old. He's way too mature. I say he's 17 at the LEAST.**


End file.
